


In The Burning Embers

by VainClaws



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: A new hope, Anger, Angst, Childhood Friends, Death, F/M, Fluff, Hate, Hurt, Kindness, Love, Mending Bonds, Rafe Adler/Original Female Characters, Rafe Adler/Reader - Freeform, Realistic themes, Regret, Sad, Sickness, Super angsty idk why?, disabled, idk - Freeform, just a lot of feelings, just pray for the female character she is going through so many shit, like literally a very very realistic fan fiction based on the u4 ending, there will be sin in later chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-20
Updated: 2016-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-16 05:46:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7254934
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VainClaws/pseuds/VainClaws
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"As vivid as it truly is, fall in love in a single touch and fall apart when it hurts too much.</p><p>Can we skip past near death cliches?</p><p>Where my heart restarts, as my life replays?</p><p>All I want is to flip a switch.</p><p>Before something breaks that cannot be fixed.</p><p>All I wanted was to say goodbye</p><p>But you were never there."</p><p> <br/>People knew Rafe Adler as the American Treasure Hunter who went missing, or that's what the newspapers say, for some other people Rafe Adler is once an ally who sunk down with Henry Avery's missing treasure, and for one significant person, he was someone else.</p><p>Rafe had a reason behind all the years of treasure hunting, he needed the money, as funny as that sounds for an Adler he didn't need it for himself, he needed it for her.</p><p>She didn't know who he is, she remembered pieces of him, memories, moments.</p><p>When she decides to go on a journey for recovery she sees him in the small things, in the roses that grew across the street, in the smell of a familiar cologne, and she sees him in the girl who looks back in the mirror in front of her.</p><p>The problem is, she could not remember who he is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In The Burning Embers

**Author's Note:**

> This was from tumblr, someone requested it and I reposted this on AO3 to make it an official fan fiction so i'd be able to post the next chapters soon.
> 
> Will update really frequently.
> 
> If you have suggestions or requests: http://vainclaws.tumblr.com
> 
> If you want to be a beta reader, contact me!

“I sacrificed everything for Henry Avery’s treasure.” Once those words left Rafe’s mouth all he could think about was her, oh God, her, the rest of the words that came out of his mouth were slightly a blur, they just came out, full of rage, full of anger, but deep down, himself knew that all of this was based on the fear that he held deeply, the fear that he will fail her.

For every swing of the metal sword all he could think about was every time he failed her, for every second he is not with her, for every night that he left her to be alone, for each swing he grows angrier, angrier for himself that he puts out to not other than Nathan Drake in front of him.

It was never a fight between Nathan and himself, it was more of a fight with him and his own mind, it was like a countless of thoughts inside his head, every single step he take, he would remind himself that this is all for her, without the treasure, how would she stay alive? Without all the money where would she be in another month? Or even tomorrow?

Of course, how could Rafe Adler runs out of money? At first the The Adler’s major company was willing to pay for her medical treatments, but when his parents (Who he thinks should probably be dead but aren’t even the slightest bit going to be dead soon) realized that she wasn’t going to wake up soon, they stopped paying for her, but it wasn’t a problem for Rafe himself since he started paying for her treatments with his own money, but when his parents found out, they threatened to stop giving Rafe paychecks and to cut him out of the family business if he kept on spending his money like that.

What the Drake brothers knew is that Rafe wants to make a name for himself that is why he wanted to find Henry Avery’s treasure for himself, for the fame and the fortune they thought, but little did they know all he wanted was to find the Henry Avery treasure just for her, just to pay for her, hell, he would even buy a whole hospital for her.

Rafe knew that deep down his success didn’t came from scratch, that is one of the reasons he wanted to find the treasure, to make him feel less of a failure, and Rafe was afraid of people seeing him as a failure.

The more important thing is, he is afraid that she would see him as failure, and he is afraid that when he comes back to her she would be gone.

His thoughts were swirling until finally Nathan’s sword grazed over his abdomen, he didn’t feel it at first, not until he noticed blood dripping to he waist of his pants, and he scoffed, like that’ll hurt him, he thought.

Clash after clash of metal goes on in the room full of fire, and all Rafe could think about was to return back home to her, but he wouldn’t let the Drake brothers see him in defeat just like that so he kept on playing his tough side to show them that nothing got to him.

Rafe is the typical person who won’t let anyone see that they got to him, once when he did let someone see it was when Rafe was eleven years old, he got into an argument with his dad about how Rafe can never be a man that his thought he would be, even if he was still eleven years old for God’s sake.

As usual, when Rafe got into any arguments that involved yelling and anger, he would cry and run away, it was the only thing that would calm him at first, but then he learnt that when people see that they get to you, it’ll just get worse.

His last argument with his dad caused him to break any bonds he had with his dad, it was all as if it was just strictly business between them, of course his parents knew about her, even his co-workers know about Rafe’s relationship with her.

Rafe himself wouldn’t call it that kind relationship at all, even though everyone accused him to be somewhat her significant other, because with her, it’s different, even though maybe Rafe knew the feeling’s deeply mutual, but he just couldn’t let the words slip past his mouth, while on the other hand Rafe could let out words of his liking to anyone else without hardships.

Because with her, Rafe is always careful.

The fight went on and on, until it all turned into a fencing spree, even if Nathan himself sucks at it, Rafe feels it is such an advantage to show how good he is at it, he was top of his class at fencing, there was no way Nathan could beat him at fencing, this time, Nathan Drake won’t beat him at something.

Rafe is honest to himself that he is kind of jealous towards Nathan Drake, and it would be unfair wouldn’t it if Nathan Drake once again shows up in the papers saying that he found Henry Avery’s treasure and Libertalia all at once while, Rafe is already working for it for years now.

It seems like the world is truly and deeply unfair for him all the time.

It was unfair that the world and the people in it treated him like shit.

It was unfair that the only person he would ever care about is not even conscious, and it was unfair not only to him but to her.

It was unfair that there are so many days he didn’t see her talking or laughing, and it was unfair to him that there are so many nights that he didn’t see her sleep in peace.

His life felt like it’s all just a daymare, all he wanted was to wake up, all he wanted to do was make things right, but whenever he tries no one understands him, except her.

She remembered him of everything he is not.

She remembered him of kindness and warmth, she has more courage than anyone else he known, not even himself in that matter.

His thoughts kept on going and going until he finally has Nathan on the ground and his sword up to his face, swaying it as a threat as he kept on talking and talking about all the rage he has for Nathan and all his friends.

His eyes glanced around the room for a minute as the fire was almost burning everything in his sight, to be quite honest, Rafe is not one to like the heat that much, Rafe is more of a snow kind of guy.

It wasn’t just a coincidence that he had met her on a snow day, it was back when Rafe was just 16 and she was no more than nine or ten years old, it was the first time he saw someone that was able to sneak past all the security guards and cameras in his house and climbed that high up to his roof, he was just from the kitchen grabbing some bread and milk even though his parents told him not to eat these kind of snacks anymore but he still does it, and when Rafe saw her, on top of the roof, with not even a coat on and even in a distance he could see her chapped lips as she’s looking around to find an entry to the house, Rafe almost wanted to ring the security button that is located in his room but then, he looked at her, really looked at her.

She was starving, and cold.

Rafe quietly opens his balcony door and stepped out into the snow falling down into his hair, and he spoke out, “Hey”  
It wasn’t loud enough for the whole household to hear but it was enough to get her running to hide to the back of another roof in a hurry, almost tripping in the process.

Rafe noticed also that her feet was covered in a thin pair of socks, she didn’t have shoes?

“Hey, it’s okay! I’m not going to tell on you!” He spoke again, she’s probably weirded out by the guy in glasses and in his pajamas late at night calling her from his balcony, I mean who wouldn’t?  
He waited, and no reply.  
Then Rafe grabbed the bread he took from the kitchen with him, “I have some food if you’re hungry.”

Then a pair of brown eyes peeked from behind a roof, the look she gave was hesitant for a while but not for long as Rafe showed her the bread for quick while in the snow before putting it back inside.

“I can’t put the bread out outside too long, it’ll be snowed on.” He chuckled for a second looking at the girl who’s not laughing at all so he tried again, “Look, come on in, you look like you’re freezing, I have a fire going to keep you warm.”

She slowly showed herself, she wasn’t wearing much, just a long sweater and some pants that doesn’t look like it covers much for the cold out here on the roof, but as she started walking towards the balcony she stopped for a moment, and spoke,  
“Why?”

In an instant, Rafe knew what she meant, why was he helping her? Why is he being nice to her? What is he doing? And to be fair, he doesn’t know the answer at that moment either, but one thing is for sure, he sure knows how it feels to be abandoned and he knows how it feels to struggle for himself.

Most people would think Rafe would just throw that girl off the roof, but Rafe is always one to prove people wrong of him.

“I believe that for once in a while you should not throw someone off your roof because they are starving, and cold for that matter.” He smiled at her and gave out his hand, “Come on.”

In that moment, it was the first time Rafe saw her gave a small laugh and took Rafe’s hand to slightly jump over his balcony railing.

And since that moment on, he would often see her on top of his roof, sometimes they’d talk and sometimes they wouldn’t, they would just sit there in silence, when Rafe eventually knew her name he searched it in every database there are and found her name registered to a school, but the school wasn’t anything fancy, infact she was in a scholarship program.

The next day when he saw her he told her that he knew she was a scholarship student, she told him that she couldn’t afford school, and she couldn’t afford basically anything.

“You don’t have to steal you know?” He added, “I always believe, that if it is truly yours, it will be yours.”

The irony of that moment, to see through years later that Rafe would be here going probably insane for a treasure that isn’t his for a girl that used to come visit him on his roof.  
What he didn’t realize was when Nathan’s sword cuts through a rope proximately a feet away from him and he heard it, a sound of something falling down, more importantly on top of him, and in that moment, he remembered.

He remembered how she loved classical music.  
He remembered how much she loved to go to the zoo.  
He remembered no matter how, she was always smarter than him.  
He remembered the way she smiled, the way she laughed, the way she squinted her eyes under the sunlight.  
He remembered the way her hands felt for all these years he had been by her side.  
He remembered the look she gave her when the Adler family wanted to pay for her tuition.  
He remembered how she tripped on her toes when she was about to graduate high school.  
He remembered the smell of her.  
He remembered that she liked her salmon with mashed potatoes.  
He remembered that look on her face when he gave her a stack of books for her to read.  
He remembered how she smiled, that one special smile when Rafe got home and found her lying on the couch.  
Every single one of his memories, he wanted to capture it and remember it forever, he wanted to see her again, he thought to himself.

And it took him to this moment where he realized that this was all not about protecting her, it was to protect himself, it was so he wouldn’t get hurt, so Rafe wouldn’t have to deal with the pain, and he was selfish.  
He’s sorry.

He wish he could say that he is sorry to her, even if she wouldn’t know, even if she’s not here to listen.  
I want to see her again.

As all the memories faded, he remembered her face when she was in that accident, he remembered all the pain he felt when he couldn’t protect her, he remembered that boulder crushing her, he remember digging through the rumbles just to see her unconscious.

He remembered seeing her in the hospital, he remember the doctor saying that her legs were completely crushed and they had to amputate them, and of course Rafe didn’t hesitate to buy her one of the newest mechanical legs that costs more than a flat itself, he even watched when the doctors set up those fake legs on her.  
But she never woke to use them.

Too bad, Rafe thought, she had such talent with her legs.  
He remember watching there from a distance as the nurses brought her to the surgery room, he recalled waiting for her to first week, the first month, the first year, and it all seemed impossible for him anymore.

He almost gave up faith, he almost listened to everyone that kept saying that he should just let her go.  
The first days he cried so much his eyes were a red for weeks, but then his sadness grew on him as he carried it everywhere he goes, but the only thing that keeps him going is that she’s not in pain, she’s not feeling a thing, and Rafe is completely okay with him dealing with all this shit.

Rafe is a frequent visitor in the hospital even after all these years, he would still bring her flowers, talk to her about his day, and even sleep on the chair next to her bed until it’s noon the next day.

He couldn’t help but think that maybe this was all his fault, that he brought this on by himself.

Maybe, just maybe she’ll wake up soon, and she’ll live as happy as she could ever have been.  
Maybe.

Maybe she’d be happy when she wakes up, maybe she won’t go looking for me, maybe she won’t wake up alone in her hospital bed, and maybe she won’t be lonely.

Maybe she’ll forget.

He couldn’t say anything as the heavy gold and metal drops on top of him and at the very last breath he took the only words he could think in his head was,

 

Forgive me.


End file.
